Tractors and wood! Show your pics

[MinnesotaEric]

Eric that pile makes your tractor look small.

You keep mentioning lake shore but I can't remember seeing you post any lake pictures, maybe I missed them. Is MN like VT in it's lake shore restrictions in that you are not allowed to clear or significantly thin along a shoreline and any cutting at all in general requires a DNR permit ??

Many are the rules in Minnesota.

http://www.co.hubbard.mn.us/Environmental/Shoreland Guide to Lake Stewardship.pdf

http://files.dnr.state.mn.us/waters/surfacewater_section/hydrographics/ohwl.pdf

The take away is this: lots must be an average of 150 feet wide, have 2.25 acres, while buildings must be setback 100 feet from the ordinary high waterline (which has moved due to the engineering fiddling on the three lake chain). By yanking out all these dead trees, I'm probably shooting myself in the foot because I'm removing historical evidence of the the ordinary high water line. I figure the surveyor I hire will be able to figure it out when I get him or her involved.

 

[Green Acres Homestead]

Cutting and hauling firewood. Not sure if it is easier to cut it up in the woods then put it in the trailer or use the boom to lift the logs on then take them off for processing at a landing. .

 

[Baby Grand]

Any of you guys use a barking spud?
No, it's not a noisy tater.

I started using one 2 years ago and the fire wood stays a lot cleaner without the bark and the bugs that live under it. It's a home made item that I found at a used tool place. I suspect it's intended use was for ice removal.

Looks like a 3" length of cutting edge with a welded on shank and fit with a cut down 3' wood handle from some other tool. It was pre-painted don't-eat-me-orange to help me avoid driving over it & a good match with my helmet, saws & tractor. I rounded the cutting edge, so it looks like a big gouge for a wood lathe.
Works great on everything but a green ash that seems to have the bark welded on.

 

[s219]

I use a bark spud (bought from Peavey Mfg, made in USA logging tools) to cleanup any logs I am using for posts or woodworking projects. Works great, and gives a pretty look. Don't use it on firewood though.

 

[Gordon Gould]

Todays contribution to the firewood pile



gg

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

Todays contribution to the firewood pile

View attachment 433093

gg

Nice! What kind of wood?

 

[Gordon Gould]

Nice! What kind of wood?

Part of an old Sugar Maple

 

[arrow]

Cutting and hauling firewood. Not sure if it is easier to cut it up in the woods then put it in the trailer or use the boom to lift the logs on then take them off for processing at a landing. .

View attachment 432956

If of any help, the aspect of removing timber from woods in the most efficient way possible is to keep the tree as together as it can be and still be dragged or skidded or forwarded out of the wood and onto a landing.
The reasoning for this was 1. efficiency 2. safety. Too often surrounding growth in a tightly grown forest gets in the way of production (efficiency) and what one doesn't need is to trip over any of this growth with a roaring chainsaw while attempting to remove wood (safety).
In a former job, we broke this rule as little as possible leaving whole crowns separated from their stems as the only cuts made while in the woods. Today making firewood as a regular homeowner, I now drag the crowns out as together as allowed to make it through the wood and cut these up on a landing.

 

[Luke'sScreenName]

We have an old one in front of our house. House was built about 1760 and in a photo we have from around 1890 the tree is just as massive as it is now. It's on the way out. Can't say I'm looking forward to the day I have to make it into firewood.

 

[TomSeller]

Any of you guys use a barking spud?
No, it's not a noisy tater.

I started using one 2 years ago and the fire wood stays a lot cleaner without the bark and the bugs that live under it. It's a home made item that I found at a used tool place. I suspect it's intended use was for ice removal.

Looks like a 3" length of cutting edge with a welded on shank and fit with a cut down 3' wood handle from some other tool. It was pre-painted don't-eat-me-orange to help me avoid driving over it & a good match with my helmet, saws & tractor. I rounded the cutting edge, so it looks like a big gouge for a wood lathe.
Works great on everything but a green ash that seems to have the bark welded on.

A picture would be worth a thousand